Quilt Camp 2011

I honestly didn't think I'd get to go to Quilt Camp this year but I did! and it was great!

9/4 Sunday – We drove to Iowa early so I had a day to rest. We stayed at The Lodge in Forest City, Iowa. 

 

Our suite had a bedroom including a sink, table, chairs, TV, and a kitchenette living area with table, chairs, pull out sofa, chair, TV.  This place is really an Inn. It has a nice restaurant and a small continental breakfast for Lodge guests. We ate dinner here and it was very good! We are in the middle of a grove of oak trees. 

Tonight we walked around grounds a little bit and I began sewing a small table runner.

9/5 Monday Labor Day – Ray took a bike ride and I took a walk this morning. There is a bike/walking path that passes by our motel. It was a beautiful morning – cool, still, and sunny. 

There is a Winnebago campground next to us that is only used 4-6 days a year! We drove to Pilot Knob State Park and walked up to the tower – the 2^nd highest spot in Iowa. 

Then we checked out downtown Forest City – everything was closed. We ate lunch at Pizza Ranch in Garner. After lunch and a short nap, other friends arrived. We went to dinner with Sandy, Barb, Polly and Bob at the Mexican restaurant in Garner – good! Mary Ellen from Wisconsin is staying here also. I finished the table runner tonight.

9/6 Tuesday – We began the day at the Quilted Forest, the quilt shop in Forest City. Then a stop at Bill’s Supermarket in Forest City to get lunch for today. On to Country Threads. 

 We had lunch outside and then camp began! I spent the afternoon sewing –

They had us make a camp block (sorry about the bad picture) and

a fourth of a corn and beans block. Tomorrow they will be critiqued! 


A group of us had dinner at The Lodge. I stayed at The Lodge and sewed a little tonight. I began a Halloween table runner.

Ray biked to Pilot Knob this afternoon.

9/7 Wednesday – We (Sandy, Barb, and I) started the day at the Coffee Cabin.  I finished my blocks for critiquing this AM. It’s hard to believe that I twisted a row and didn’t see it! When I fixed it later, one block was still off! Oh well, a project for another day! My blocks were critiqued well – they were especially looking at pressing. Of course, there was a comment or a few(!) about the Amish block with the obviously (?) made error! 


I made a 10-minute table runner changing the pointed end to a square one. I found a few kits that I liked including a pincushion kit. I began a small (20” X 20”) quilt called Cobblestones. It has 25 blocks and I completed 6 today. Everyone from camp ate lunch at Pizza Ranch today. We had dinner at Mat’s Place in Garner. Tonight I finished the Halloween table runner. I am really tired. 

Ray toured the Winnebago Plant today. He said it was pretty incredible.

9/8 Thursday – We again started the day at the Coffee Cabin. When we got to camp, I worked on my Cobblestones quilt. It took me all day but I finished piecing it! I did take a short nap on Mary E.’s couch this afternoon with cat Diane. It helped a lot and I was able to make it through the day much easier. 


Bill's catered lunch to camp today. Tonight Ray and I went to Ventura, Iowa (7 miles from Garner) to Musky’s for dinner (the others wanted a fast dinner and more time to quilt). We had the ‘every night fish fry’. It was very good but a little too much fried food for us.  


Ray biked from our inn in Forest City to Country Threads and back today. He rode back roads with only a mile or so on the main highway – it was almost 30 miles round trip! Later this afternoon, he drove through Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge.

9/9 Friday – How can it be the last day already?!! We began the day at the Coffee Cabin. I think everyone is tired today. I played with Jenny Doan’s (Missouri Star Quilt Company) fast HST from charm squares and also random 4-patches from charm squares. Both were easy to do. I did some shopping, picked up our new barn quilt, and packed up. We had the group show and tell – 

lots of pretty quilts and projects - these are just a few. It was time to say goodbye to some old and some new friends. Many plan to be back next year – hope so! We were on the road shortly after 11. We enjoyed a good lunch at the 3C Bistro in Charles City, Iowa. Then we took an afternoon break in Dyersville, Iowa – Ray had pecan pie and I had oatmeal cake. Stopped to do a couple of errands on the way home. I am very tired tonight but happy to be home.

It’s been a good week. I missed being at camp in the evenings but I was plenty tired just from the days. I did minimal exercises and am looking forward(!) to my usual routine. I’m very thankful that Ray was willing to go so I could. I wish I had more time to enjoy the area – I think I’d enjoy seeing and hiking some of the state parks and wildlife areas. We have enjoyed incredible weather this week. Next year, I think we’ll return to The Lodge. 


I'll show my projects soon...