Quilt Camp 2006

We all had a wonderful time at Quilt Camp. This was sponsored by our little guild, North Star Quilters. The camp was held in Minthorn Lodge at Lewis River Campground, a church camp about 30 minutes away. There were 19 of us attending. The committee did an incredible job as usual. Every time we turned around there was another something special for each of us. Even if one doesn't win any of the great door prizes one still goes away with lots and lots of goodies.

The theme this year was Winter Wonderland. We were greeted with felted wool mitten name tags to hang around our neck. Inside was a great little pair of scissors, and the tag read "Cold Hands Warm Heart". There was also a red ticket tucked inside the mitten. We were told we'd learn at dinner what the tickets were for.

The building is a pretty typical lodge. The "great room" has a very high sloping ceiling with stairs going up to the bedrooms. A landing that looks over the "great room". Tables were set up in much of this room for sewing machines, with three couches and a big chair around the edge of the room for hand stitchers. This year - just as last year - I spent much of my time in the big chair in the corner, with my pendant lamp around my neck, happily appliquéing away. Thoughtful Donna, one of the camp organizers, brought a sheet to drape all over my chair so I wouldn't keep losing my scissors and thimble down the side of the chair as I had last year. At each place was a flannel wrapped bottle of water with another ticket - how thoughtful of them! My favorite color is red, and the bottle by my chair was wrapped in red, white and blackplaid flannel - perfect!

The dining room tables were wonderfully decorated - sure wish the centerpieces had been door prizes! The piano was pushed to the side and held the six "red ticket" door prizes. All weekend red tickets were passed out for various reasons - a particularly clever comment, good progress on a project, a great "friendly insult", etc. There were also quilty quiz questions before each meal. A bell on each table was wrung by those wanting to answer the question. The first person who rang the bell got a chance to answer. If she was right she won tickets for everyone sitting at her table. You get the idea - the hostesses were passing tickets out to people for any excuse they could think of. We wrote our name on each ticket, then tossed it in the basket beside the door prize we wanted to win. We could put them all in one basket or spread them out between two or more baskets. The drawing was after breakfast Sunday morning. I put all my tickets in the top three baskets but didn't win anything. They also drew one of our names out of the little snowman box before each meal, with a quilty book being the prize.

Lots and lots of sewing was done. Some ladies were focused and quiet, but many spent as much time checking out others' work as they did working on their own projects. I took pictures from on the landing to give you an idea of how the workspace looked. You can see my chair in the back left corner. Joann, our oldest member at 71, was in the chair to the right of my chair. She was big stitching a baby quilt. In front of the chairs you can see the cutting table. Pressing tables were at the other end next to the staircase and in the dining room. The couch on the left served as the work area for those of us doing the final appliqué on the Northwest Medical Team auction quilt. I've included a picture someone took with my camera - at least they could have told me to get dressed first! My friend Liz and I worked on the quilt all Friday evening and most of the day Saturday. In the picture I'm adding lily of the valley flowers to the bottom border and Liz is stitching plum flower buds onto the top border.

Camp was catered by a singing chef named Joe and his mother Dottie. Their family - aunts, uncles, parents, and Joe's four brothers are all in the restaurant and catering business. We had very fancy meals! Joe also was quite a character - flirting and joking with all the ladies, giving impromptu back rubs and serenading us while we ate. He said he had to be good because his mother would report back to his wife - I wondered how he'd behave if his mother hadn't been there! Here is Cleo, a past president and chair of Quilt Pink, who was serenaded at Saturday breakfast.

We sat wherever we wanted to for Friday dinner, but after that we had to draw from a basket to see where we were to sit. We matched things like candy bars, packs of gum, playing cards, coasters and refrigerator magnets. This was a great way to mix us up and help us get to know other people better - especially since three of the attendees are were friends of guild members and strangers to some of us. Each time we came downstairs in the morning or returned to the workroom after a meal we found something fun at our work station. Saturday morning was a cute heart shaped needle keeper of wool felt. After Saturday dinner we found cute little wool socks stuffed with mixed nuts. Sunday morning we had snowman ornaments at our breakfast places. Scissors fobs were waiting for us after Saturday lunch. The entire committee spoiled us rotten. They got very little sleep because they got up really early to play "santa". They couldn't do it after everyone went to bed, because each night - or should I say morning? - someone stayed up until after 4:00 a.m.! Most of the committee ladies got about 3 hours of sleep each night - I don't know how they managed!

We had one planned activity and one unplanned activity. We were all told to bring 5-10 $1 bills and a fat quarter of homespun or Thimbleberries fabric. Saturday night's after dinner activity was making a layered Chocolate Pumpkin Cake mix in a jar, and decorating the lid with the fabric. I can't wait to try the recipe! These would make great gifts. The unplanned activity involved the money - which was for tips for Joe. Normally tips would have been covered in our registration fee, but the planned caterer dropped out just a month before camp, and Joe was somewhat more expensive.All weekend we were to put our tips in a huge brandy snifter that sat next to the door prizes. One of the organizers brought 3 books on folding money, so we had fun folding all the dollar bills for Joe' tips. He really had to work for this money, as every single bill was folded into something. There were trees, frogs, flowers, bow ties, other animals and other objects. One lady folded a whole bunch of bills into a chain the way we'd chained gum wrappers years ago when we were in school. I folded four of mine into what my mom called "cat stairs". That was the most interesting container of tips I'd ever seen!

Everyone accomplished a lot and had a wonderful time. I'll save show and tell pictures for another post.

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Gratitudes:

1. Quilt camp friends
2. Northwest Medical Teams quilt is finished and out of my house!
3. Coming home to my waiting husband
4. Pumpkin Spice coffeemate
5. Bongo bars for Friday dessert

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