Quilt Show and Sale over for another year!!

We held our 13th Annual Quilts at the Harbour Show and Sale this past weekend and made over $700 for the support of the lovely small church in our community. In these days of disappearing rural community infrastructure it is good to see an active vibrant small church surviving. So many other features of the rural community have gone - gas pumps, stores, and one room school houses. But the community of Hall's Harbour continues to support an active fishery, an up-to-date fire protection service, and a Historical Society and C@psite . We rely heavily on volunteers and so many residents work hard to keep the community active and growing.

It was so nice to have an opportunity to visit and network with so many friends, new and old! Often our lives are busy and we don't have the chance to slow down and share, but this event gives us a nice opportunity to do so. It was good too, to see what everyone is doing and to get fresh quilting ideas from each other!
One of my goals was to move out a pile of quilting magazines and quilt-related bits and pieces and it was good to see so much of it got to new homes - more downsizing and de-stashing will be in the works this winter.
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And talking about winter, I think we may have had frost last night - very soon we will be starting the lugging of firewood and the countdown to Christmas!

I'm planning to be ready a little earlier this year - are you? I must get my fresh listings ready for FunkyBabyMine and A Coastal Christmas sites - keep an eye on them as I hope to make some progress there this week.
And if like me, you love the classic old quilt kits, both applique and cross stitch (wholecloth too!) you must check out http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/ - these lovely kits have become harder and harder to source and my inventory is extensive as we go into winter! Enjoy! And remember I also have gift certificates for those hard-to-buy-for ladies on your list.
Until next post, big hugs to everyone and apologies for not posting this summer. I must try to do better this fall.

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR 9 WAS BEST YET

We did it!! And we survived, even though a little dazed and fatigued. We earned the most $ yet for the United Baptist church down the road from Grace and I and we received rave reviews from the visitors too.

The bake table was well received - the bread and muffins gone by midday Saturday. Connie brought in a lovely iced cake Sunday and it went not five minutes after it was placed on the table. Refreshments were yummy!

Lots of bouquets of dahlias and glads; green and partially ripe tomatoes and apples, jams, pickles and preserves - yum!!!

This is a picture I took on Saturday of avid quilters picking over the yardage, fat quarters and eighths, notions, books and patterns. This was taken in the Fellowship/Sunday School room - the church itself was reserved for our best yet display of quilts, many of which sold during the two days.

Now I am in recovery mode and catching up on housework plus making a dessert for the Historical Society's annual Dessert Party and Nautical Gift Basket draw to be held tomorrow afternoon after the Annual General Meeting.

Was having a crisis of indecision between gingerbread with whipped cream, lemon loaf, or apple crisp with whipped cream. Settled on the apple crisp and will make it using gravenstein apples - a heritage apple that does not keep over winter but is luscious either in a cooked recipe or eaten out of hand.

Pictured is a seat pad hand hooked in the 20's or 30's here in Nova Scotia. I will be offering this vintage hooked rug for sale at our upcoming Quilts at the Harbour quilt show and sale on Sept 29 and 30th. There is a little unravelling at the outside edges, but as you will note, the artist worked far outside the edges of the intended seat pad so it can be restored with no loss to the design.

http://www.quiltsattheharbour.com will tell you all about the quilt show and sale.

The rug is hooked from a pattern distributed by Garrett's of New Glasgow, Halifax and Boston; these lovely patterns, after years of storage in the old Garrett's factory in Nova Scotia are now being reproduced again by a Pictou, Nova Scotia firm.

FALL IN NOVA SCOTIA

This is an autumn picture of the barrens near Duncan's Cove , Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia. I think this is a good example of why many Nova Scotians long for home when we are away. This area is less than a half hour drive from the downtown core of Halifax and anyone living in this city can easily access the great outdoors.
This is the favourite time of year for visitors to the province and many older travellers with no children in school are here to take in the many festivals and events, such as Octoberfests, Celtic Colours Cape Breton music festivals, and last but not least our own Hall's Harbour Quilts at the Harbour 9th annual quilt show and sale to be held this year at the West Hall's Harbour United Baptist Church Saturday,September 29 10 to 5PM and Sunday, September 30 from 12 noon until 5PM. Plan to attend - contact me at: mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com for further info.
The magnificant colours in the photo above inspire me to attempt a quilt on the subject of autumn and a pictorial quilt inspired by one of Joe Norris' fall paintings is in my future.

QUILTING WITH JANET

Everyone is doing it these days - blogging I mean - and I've finally decided to take the plunge and set up my blog.
Welcome aboard! Here I'll be recommending some of my favourite notions, threads and sources for all the goodies quilters like you just have to have - now and then I'll give you peeks at my own stash of supplies - I think I have the most so should be the winner in the stash race!! Let me know if you have more. LOL
I'll also talk from time to time about my passions - which mainly have to do with fabrics from the 1825 - 1900 period and with traditional quilt design and technique.
Right now, foremost in my mind is the upcoming quilt show and sale in my little community - I convene it every year and am in the midst of delivering flyers , posting posters and rounding up exhibitors. Just hit on a great idea for participants - I have to drop off my 35 year old Bernina to the bernina lady to have it serviced and repaired and will get a bunch of leaflets and business cards from her to give out at the show - it's to everyone's advantage to make sure there is a local source for Bernina - tthose wonderful and indestructible sewing machines - for so long there was no dealer in this province - we don't need to go back to that again!

I posted the above image, a complimentary pattern from Moda fabrics, for use with their 3 sisters line called chocolat - a very simple pattern that shows off the lovely fabrics beautifully - I have in my stash two complete charm packs and some yardage as well and I'm trying to decide what to make with these treasured fabrics - ideas anyone?