A real treat!

With the weather as hot as it is here in the upper midwest and in various parts of the U.S., you might think I am talking about ice cream. That would certainly be a treat on a hot day. But instead, I'm talking about a quilt that was a real treat to see.......this one.......

Meet Mary Chalmers the quilt artist that made this stunning wool quilt. It's an award winner and some of you may have seen it this past spring in Paducah. It took second place in the "Home Sewing Machine Quilted" category. Right now, I think the quilt is headed to a show out east so you never know, it might be coming your way. :-)

Our Scott County Crazy Quilter's were fortunate to have Mary as a guest speaker this past May (yes, I am a little behind in sharing some of what's been going on these past couple of months). She shared the story behind her wool quilt and also a crazy quilt that you see below. She didn't make that one but bought it at a garage sale. More on that in a minute.

If you double-click on the picture of Mary with her quilt, you will see that while it is machine stitched and quilted, it is the beautiful embroidery work and that pieced border that really make this quilt a "star". I first saw it at the Minnesota State Fair last summer where it earned a Blue Ribbon. It was my favorite quilt at the fair (go here to see the post about it last summer). I contacted Mary to see if she would be available to speak to our group and share her quilt. She was excited to do so and we had a wonderful evening as she talked about her quilt and entering it, and others, in competition. We are all thinking that we would like to recreate this quilt. Mary was inspired by a design that she found in a quilt magazine from the 1980's.

In this photo above you can see Mary pointing out some details on this antique crazy quilt. It's very worn and yet in places it is in beautiful condition. It has several embroidered references but Mary has no history on the quilt. In the photo below you can see that it says "Endion School". I found that there was an "Endion School" in Duluth, MN so perhaps that is where it was made. It could have been a fundraiser. A friend of Mary's that does quilt appraising told her that the different variations in the stitching, speak of many hands working on this quilt. Wouldn't it be wonderful to know the story behind this quilt?

There is probably more I should share about both these quilts but my mind is not clear tonight. I am preparing to head to Iowa for a family reunion so there has been a lot on my mind and no room there for quilting thoughts!! LOL! I'm also going along with my mom to the Lehigh High School Alumnae Banquet on Saturday night. She will get to see old friends and I know that I will enjoy it, too. Then on Sunday at noon, it's our 81st Linn Family Reunion. I have so much fun stuff planned for this year's reunion!! I will tell you all about it when I get back. It even involves a quilt project!!

So, by the time you read this, I will be headed down Hwy 169, driving through familiar towns and past some favorite farms. And my destination is my home town of Lehigh......nestled in the valley of the Des Moines River.

This is a view of the river looking north from the bridge. Kinda pretty isn't it? I'll be back soon and have photos to share and stories to tell. Plus, next week, I will finally be able to share the wintery project that I've been working on and I'm going to be joining a "wooly round robin" over at PumpkinPatchPrimitives. More on all of that next week. Oh, yes, lots of fun things ahead.

Have a good weekend! I know I will!

Sandi