Shall we gather at the River......

Sunday morning dawned very damp, slightly foggy, but no rain for the morning activities of Heritage Days. I won't be sharing photos of any quilts and stitching in this post but I will be sharing that many of us were "in stitches" with joy and laughter at the scene that played out along the banks of the Minnesota River here in Henderson this morning.
I'll set the scene for you so get ready and lets step back in time...........It's the late 1800's and word has come that a new minister will be arriving in Henderson - and it's a lady. Mr. Straub, the local choir director (with his back to you in the picture) has been telling everyone how awful this may be, why it just can't be right to have a lady minister!!! But her canoe has been spotted and she will soon step ashore, so Mr. Straub leads us all in song as we sing "Shall we gather at the river." Many from the community have gathered to be a part of the welcoming committee for the new pastor and, of course, fine dress is a must. Miss Amy (on the left) is looking especially lovely in her new suit of clothes and matching hat.

The canoe and its precious cargo nears the river landing. Fortunately the waters were very still this morning. (Is that a "back-up" canoe, in case the first one capsizes and there would have to be a rescue?)

Mr. Straub, who only minutes earlier was not sure there should be a lady minister in our town, takes her hand and helps her from the canoe.

I think she must have charmed him as within minutes he was laughing and the two of them headed up the hill to the waiting wagon while the choir followed behind singing more choruses of "Shall we gather at the river".

Pastor Kathy and Miss Lamona wait for the wagon to fill and soon the wagon was headed up the hill to the Tent Revival.

Many choir members and community residents followed the wagon and we had to do some clever stepping not to get stuck in the mud! Fortunately, we weren't in a real tent as it probably would have leaked when the rains came. Instead, we were in the covered shelter at the Bender Park. Music from the Joyful Noise Praise Band from Belle Plaine, MN played while the new lady pastor, Miss Kathy, greeted members of the community and fears of how awful it might be to have a lady pastor quickly disappeared!

The shelter was full of people and as service began, everyone hoped the rain would stay away. All were welcomed and we read the Lord's Prayer together. The choir sang "Amazing Grace" and it truly sounded amazing as voices of the choir we led by Mr. Straub and Mrs. Straub accompanied on the organ. Then just as the new lady pastor was beginning her message, the rains began and so those on the outside moved in a bit. And then it rained some more, so everyone moved in again. And this was a good thing as it was getting a wee bit cold so huddled together brought us much needed warmth. The choir sang another old and favored hymn "Just as I am" and then an offering for the local food shelf was collected. Then the new lady pastor introduced us to the Circuit Rider, Father Keith of the Church of St. Joseph. He shared his story with us and just as he finished, the noon whistle blew and he said "I think this means I have talked too long" so with a closing prayer and another hymn from the choir, those who had come to worship headed out to enjoy more of the days festivities.................

And now, back to the present. Unfortunately, the rain continued all day long. I made a run for my car and headed up to the library to unlock so that visitors could enjoy seeing the quilts. And 51 visitors came to see the quilts, which on a rainy day in our little town is probably a pretty good turn-out. I was hoping to get photos of the quilts into a slide-show format but by the time I packed up all the quilts, got home and fixed supper, made a triple batch of my "Southern Roots Biscuits" and some No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies - well, I was tired. So, tomorrow I will post the quilts and tell you more about them. I think the sun we wanted for today is going to show up tomorrow. Oh, well. Hope you all had as good a day as I did!

Sandi

Rain, rain go away............

All was in place - vendors for food and antiques were all set up, costumed residents were strolling Main Street ready to share their stories of Henderson in the late 1800's, the wagon was ready to take folks on a ride, and the quilts were set up and awaiting visitors. The day held promise for another great Heritage Days Event but Mother Nature had a mind of her own......................

There was a hint of mist in the air as my friend, Diane portrayed the school marm from the 1850's. Here she is telling this young guest about the school that once stood in the woods near the library. Then the hint of mist turned to rain . The weatherman predicted it would end by noon but instead, it just rained harder in the afternoon. It didn't take much thought for me to be very happy that I was volunteering for an indoor activity. Instead of standing out in the rain, I was surrounded by quilts and in a warm, dry place. Diane soon left her spot outside and joined me in the library. Lots of folks wandered in to look at the quilts as it was a great way to get out of the rain. They really enjoyed the wide variety of quilts that I had set up for display. Even Pastor Kathy stopped in to dry off. She didn't stay long, though, as she was on her way again to visit with parishioners around about town. (Wait til I tell you what she'll be doing tomorrow - be sure and check back tomorrow night.)
While the rain really put a "damper" on the festivities along Main Street, I think it actually helped our attendance at the Library. Silly me, I had brought along some handwork in case it was quiet and there were no visitors. I managed to stitch one little decorative piece on one of my crazy quilting blocks and that was it. By the end of the day we had 86 visitors who came to see the quilts and I talked with almost all of them. And what fun I had visiting with them!
It's always amazing to me how a quilt can get people to talking. I found this out especially when I worked at Murphy's Landing (now just called The Landing) and whenever I was demonstrating quilting to guests who visited the history site, I often learned more from guests than they did for me. All it takes is for someone who sees a quilt like mom or grandma made and they start telling you their story. Like the gentleman and his wife who came to visit this morning. His eyes lit up when he saw the wool quilt in the chair on the left side of the fireplace. It's made of wool suiting swatches and has a very thick batting. He said that as a child they were two of these quilts that his mom made and boy, were they heavy! He said this one looked almost like those quilts. He really enjoyed talking about those quilts.

Lots of ladies and their husbands wandered in to look at the quilts but almost all of the guys found it as interesting as the women did. Most of these were old quilts that I had assembled to show the changes in fabric and quilting from the past 100 years or so. From my collection and three from the Sibley County Historical Society, I was able to share quilts from the mid 1800's to the present. I'm going to try to do a little "slide show" of some of the pictures and see if I can't get it done to post tomorrow night.

Back to today and the visitors that I so enjoyed......... Two young visitors who took shelter from the rain were a brother and sister, young teens. They were dressed in costume and had been playing music of the 1800's on Main Street until the rain drowned them out. The brother was happy that his sister wanted to see the quilts. Her favorite was this quilt on the left that is from the 1920's. It came from my brother in Iowa who got it from his sister-in-law in Illinois who got it from her husband's great great aunt who lived near Chicago and my brother gave it to me. Got that? :-) The young woman stood and studied the variety of fabrics that still survive in the quilt. It's very worn in the center but the blocks in the perimeter of the quilt are in great shape. I asked if she was a quilter and she said "oh, yes". Ah, the torch will pass to the next quilting generation.

Here's another young quilter who may carry on the tradition of quilting. This is Alyssa and here's how I know she has a fine appreciation for quilts and fabric. Once I set up all the quilts, I had placed a few little cards here and there that said .......

To protect our quilts, please do not touch.
Want a closer look?
Put on a pair of white gloves and you can touch the quilts.

I saw her read the sign and then look over to find a pair of gloves (I picked up some cheap stretch gloves at Target last year after Easter). She was slipping them on when I walked over and asked if I might take her picture as she looked at the quilt. We got the okay from her mom and she was so pleased to have her picture taken with the quilt and know that she will be featured here on my blog. It made me smile to see what care she took with the quilts and how much she and mom and family enjoyed seeing the quilts.

From the young to the "young-at-heart" I want to introduce you to my friend, Carolyn. She walked up the hill to the library just before it rained and sat to visit. She is a joy. Would you believe she will celebrate her 95th birthday in January? One gentlemen guest wasn't sure we were telling him the truth on that but I told him I could vouch for her as we are in a Bible Study group together. I told him, yes, she really is 94 and he said "well, she only looks like she's in her 70's." Could living in Henderson keep one young? Hmmm......Anyway, Carolyn quilted for many years but vision problems keep her from stitching these days. Her daughter Barb has most of her quilts so I took a picture of her in front of one of the quilts that was on loan from the Sibley County Historical Society (I wrote about these quilts back in June so click here if you want to read more) . This quilt was donated by a local family who has given information that dates the quilt to about 1825. It is extremely worn and yet it is lovely. Just before Carolyn arrived at the library, I had been tracing the applique designs on the quilt. I find it lovely and am convinced that I must reproduce it. Think I will have to bump a couple of projects so I can make room for this one. We began to discuss the faded color of the fabrics and wondered were they always muted or were they much darker. So with my gloves on and with visitors watching, I found a couple of spots to check for the "real" colors. The blues, of course, were once darker but not quite navy. And the green was also a just a wee bit darker. Interestingly, the green fabric has remained well stitched while others have pulled away or disintegrated completely. The center of the flowers appears beige but in fact was once a mustard or "cheese" yellow as one visitor called it. The pink petals on the flower were really a deep rose. What was the pattern called we wondered? So I pulled Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Quilt Blocks from the shelf and began searching. The closest pattern we could find was an Oak Leaves pattern that was only slightly similar. I'll be doing further searching for sure because I definitely will be making this quilt!

The rain continued and more visitors popped in to see the quilts. This happy couple told me they loved coming out to Henderson and really enjoyed the Heritage Days weekends. I asked where they were from and they said St. Paul. We chatted about the quilts and all the while, I am thinking - something about this woman is familiar. We talked some more and they enjoyed not only looking at the quilts but other items in the library because the building was once an Episcopalian Church that was built in 1856. The more I heard her voice, the more I knew that I knew her so finally I just said - "I have the feeling I know you........and bingo, we both realized we had worked together several years ago at Murphy's Landing!!! So a dozen years later and no longer coloring our hair, we didn't recognize each other. Well, then we really began to visit and what a great time we had. Just as they were leaving, in came this lovely group of ladies who were out celebrating. They are "The Birthday Club" and they had been to Sister's in Winthrop for lunch (about 25 miles west of Henderson) and came on to Heritage Days for more fun. Three in the group were actually quilters and their friends willingly came along to the library when they all learned of the quilt exhibit. Smart friends! I loved listening to them talk about the disease of quilting that the three quilters suffer from (me, too) and seeing the fun they were having, I asked if I could take their picture. So, here they are ------The Birthday Club from Hector, MN. In the conversation, we discovered that the three quilters in the group have also been to my favorite retreat place, Bonny's Quilt Haven in Hutchinson. I'm betting we'll cross paths again. They were too much fun!

It was almost 4:00 p.m. and time to close the doors, so I locked up and grabbed my umbrella and headed out. The rain had stopped just long enough to watch the trainer with the eagle that was entertaining the crowd outside City Hall.

I walked down Main Street and checked out some of the window displays. This is my favorite and is located in the Poehler building, once the town mercantile and now home to "Closing the Gap" and "Henderson Feather", a bird-watching organization. More on these things in a later post.



At this point, I was very hungry because all that I had brought for lunch was a half a ham sandwich. So I headed to Toody's Sweets and satisfied my sweet tooth with an excellent peanut butter Rice Krispie bar with fudge frosting. It was delicious! I took one last shot just outside Toody's. Main Street was pretty empty and the banner advertising Heritage Days had been wound around the cable by the wind. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunnier, better day. Either way, I'll still be inside, out of the rain, out of the wind and ready to talk more quilts!

See you all tomorrow night!

Sandi who will most certainly have "Sweet Dreams" of quilts and friends tonight!

The Quilts are in place.....

It's only 11:30 p.m. and I have just a couple of details left to finish for the library quilt exhibit. It's a couple of signs and then it's all ready. I set up the quilts in about two hours this evening and it is a nice variety of quilts that show the various fabrics, patterns, machine and hand-quilting with quilts ranging from the turn of the 20th Century up through the present. And the fun part is that almost all of them are mine. Worn and weary though some may be, they still have the ability to share the work their maker used to complete them. You can see the tiny fine handquilting stitches on some and perfect applique on others, and a wonderful variety of fabrics on some of them that make me wish I were a fabric designer and I would be reproducing some of the lovely pieces. I will take more pictures tomorrow to share with all of you. I am sending a big THANK YOU to all of you who are following my blog. It gives me a BIG SMILE when I read your comments and know that I am sharing things that others can enjoy!
Have a great Saturday!

Preparing for the Library Quilt Show.......

(After midnight, Thursday night so it's actually Friday morning)
I just let out a huge sigh of relief. I have finished writing the hand-out that I wanted to have available for visitors to the Library quilt show during Heritage Days this weekend. I have lots of resources from books to loads of information on the internet plus I have quilts that provide insight to when they were made and the fabrics used. Pulling that info into something that people will find interesting to read was a "whole other ballgame" as the saying goes. But it's done and so tomorrow, I will gather the rest of the quilts I will share, load it all in my car and take it off to the Library for set-up in the evening. This won't be a fancy show and some of the quilts will be very worn but I think it will be the "right" exhibit for Heritage Days. I'll probably be a little busy this weekend although I plan to take lots of photos and will post them as soon as I can. In the meantime, take a peek at this charmer.........



This is a quilt top that my mother gave me several years ago. It's not one that she made but is one of many that she and my dad would buy at auction. My mother, Mary, and my dad, Melvin, grew to love going to flea markets and auctions after my dad retired. Local farm auctions often featured lots of machinery and furniture and treasures could be found if you bought items "by the box". A box might contain pretty figurines, kitchen items, sewing supplies and often quilt tops and stacks of blocks waiting to find their way into a quilt top. This quilt top was likely made in the 1950's. It features nine-patch blocks that could have been made in the 40's or at least made from fabric of that era. The fabric used to connect the blocks is a kitchen print that surely must have been popular in the 1950's (it's possible it could be from the 1960's as I have no real way of knowing for sure). Put it all together and you have a wild and crazy quilt top. The maker did a pretty good job of lining up her blocks and rows if you look at it from the right side. However, if you look at it on the left side you can see how very uneven it is. I think it adds to the charm of this piece. I have a plan for this quilt top. I think it would make a great tablecover. I am not going to use batting on the top but instead will use an old flannel sheet (a common practice with quilters many years ago) and back it with muslin or a solid green or blue cotton. I'll sew it together "pillow-case" style, turn it inside out and stitch the opening closed. I may secure the layers with "ties" but they'll be tiny because I don't want to detract from the fun fabrics in this quilt top. And when it's all done I will save it for when somebody special comes for dinner - quilters, of course (maybe you?!) - and serve up some of my good "down-home-Iowa-born-and-raised-cooking-now-Minnesota-hot-dished"!! Hee hee. You might have to be a Minnesotan or an Iowan to see the fun in that last line!
Time to close for the night. Adios amigos! (I am thinking of dear friends who live near the border in Texas and hope they are safely away from the path of Ike. )



P.S. If you are looking for a great Giveaway check out what my friend Sue has to offer in celebration of 20,000 visitors. It's just a click away! And don't forget to add a comment to get your name in the draw for my pumpkin that will be filled with fall themed fat quarters. If you love fall, you will love what I am stuffing in that pumpkin!!! Just click here to add your name.

September 11

In Memory of those who died on September 11, 2001
In Honor of those who survived but may live with scars, both
emotional and physical from that terrible day
In respect and thanks to those who serve our country
in the Armed Forces both at home and abroad
In Memory of those who served and gave their lives
for their country in time of need

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Henderson Heritage Days coming up!

I don't have any quilting photos to post today as I am busy preparing for the display of quilts that I will set up at the Henderson Library during Heritage Days this weekend. So, let me tell you all about Heritage Days, an annual festival that is held in my new hometown of Henderson, MN. It's coming up this weekend, September 13th and 14th and if you are going to be in the area, you should stop and enjoy the fun! This year is Minnesota's 150th birthday so the setting for Heritage Days this weekend will be a trip back in time to the late 1800's. You'll find costumed volunteers strolling Main Street and taking on the characters of citizens long gone, but certainly important to the history of our little town and the state of Minnesota.

Here are a few of the historic buildings in Henderson but there are many more. This is St. Paul's United Church of Christ (it's the church I attend) and at noon and 6:00 you'll want to stop and listen to the carillion that plays hymns over the loudspeaker in the church steeple. You'll feel like you've not only stepped back in time, but have returned to the "old country", too.

This is the City Hall building which dates from the late 1800's as do most of the buildings on Main Street.

Heading west out of town, you pass the historical society and the school hill flag and further up the hill one of Henderson's charming homes.

This lovely building houses the Sibley County Historical Society and if you want to see a sample of the quilts you'll find inside just click here. A couple of the quilts will be on display at the Henderson Library this weekend in the quilt exhibit that I am preparing.

You can shop for antiques on Main Street or pop into Henderson Classical Glass. You will find exquisite treasures in both shops!

If you need an ice cream cone be sure to stop at Toody's Sweets and Treats. Across the street is the Henderson Post Office and Joel King Photography and it's Joel who has the green thumb that keeps those plants so lovely.

These are just a few photos I took a few weeks ago when I featured Bittersweet and the quilts that I have on display at the cafe. Don't depend on me to tell you what a lovely time you will have in Henderson. Instead, come and find out for yourself! Click on HeritageDays for a schedule of events.

So while I didn't post any quilt photos today, I did give you a couple of links to quilts and if you come to town this weekend, you can see the real thing. You'll find me at the Henderson Library surrounded by quilts and ready to talk fabric, piecing, and stitching!!!

Sunbonnet Sue and Crazies, too.......

It was "Tuesday Crazies" today and if you have been following my blog, you know that we are a group of seven friends who started crazy quilting together and now do all sorts of projects, too. Actually, I am probably the only one who is still doing much crazy quilting. I was working on my patriotic crazy quilt piece and you've seen that before and it will be finished by Election Day! There is lots to tell you about and great "show and tell". My friends produce far more cool quilts than I do, but I was the instigator of the group, keep us organanized and serve as unofficial photographer. :-) It was Pandora's turn to host so Sue came up from Iowa and the rest of us all carpooled with Kate driving and Adella, Carol and me as her passengers. We had an interesting time getting to Pandora's door due to major construction in her neighborhood but when we arrived we saw the other passion that Pandora enjoys - her plants and gardening. Look at that vine on her porch post! Isn't it gorgeous. She planted some butterfly bushes in front and they were, in fact, attracting butterflies!

We all bring a
bag lunch but
each hostess usually
provides a dessert.
These were little
Key Lime
Cheesecakes that Pandora
made and they were delicious!!
Kate also brought Lemon Bars and Carol brought Pear Bread. We had no shortage of goodies!!





When we finished with lunch it was time for "show and tell". Here's Sue with her darling Sock Monkey quilt and a Sock Monkey to match. Her husband Bob, even made a wooden swing so it can hang from the ceiling.








Last month, Kate brought her wool flower quilt and this month, Sue brought her version. This quilt is called "Midnight Garden" and is designed by Sara Tuttle & Sandy Brawner of Quilt Country. This one is on my list of "gonna do this someday" but too many other things are on my list to get started on this anytime soon.












Carol also had two projects to share. Here is her finished Round Robin quilt that she did with friends in Prairie Quilters.

And here she is with her One Block Wonder quilt that she cut out at our last gathering just a month ago!!! The only thing left to finish is to stitch down the binding. Isn't it absolutely beautiful. I love how she added "flitting butterflies" all around the border (fused them, she said).


Not to be outdone, here is Pandora with the One Block Wonder she was working on last month. Isn't this gorgeous, too? By doing it in a one color large print she got a totally different look to her OBW quilt.




I didn't snap a picture of Adella who was busy doing embroidery but here is Kate with a little Sunbonnet Sue quilt that she embroidered and highlighted with colored pencils. Really sweet.



My "show and tell" was a tiny 4" crazy quilted piece that will be a story for another day. Right now I need to finish the story of the lonely Sunbonnet Sue block made by my mother. That pretty little block is actually one of about 20 blocks that my mother made in the 1950's. She kept this one but at a time when we were young kids and money was tight, she sold the rest of the blocks to a lady in Evanston, Iowa (a small town southeast of Fort Dodge, Iowa). I never knew the story until a couple of years ago and there was such a sadness for her that she had to part with the rest of the lovely blocks. But that was something that was done then and people are still doing it today. I like to think that somewhere those blocks have been placed in a quilt or they lay in a trunk somewhere just waiting for some one like all of us to find those vintage treasures. Seeing this block makes me realize I need to do two things - one, trace the Sunbonnet girl and make a pattern of her so that others can make these blocks and two, trace the Butterfly from Aunt Bell's quilt so that others can make the butterflies, too. That's a project for this weekend while I am working at the quilt show at the library. It will be a good way to tell the quilts stories.
Speaking of butterflies, I successfully washed the worn and much used butterfly quilt but I am not sure it is worth a lot of work. There are large watermarks on the top and I think it might be better if I salvage the good blocks and start over. The other butterfly blocks are in a basket in the kitchen and will take wings all through this fall and winter. I'll report on the butterfly projects come spring.

Time now to close for the night. It was a good day with friends but made really special when I arrived home to check the mail. There in the box was the sweetest addressed card from our grandson wishing us a Happy Grandparents Day. My husband didn't even know there was such a holiday. Truly the man is holiday challenged!!
Night all............