My Quilt, A MARITIMERS' DREAM

Frost Fest is over and from all verbal accounts from many different sources, it was another success story.  If your interested, why not visit the Frost Fest web site and take a gander at the gallery of pictures there of the numerous people and events taken over the course of the entire weekend.  Needless to say the final outcome will be determined once all of the financials are dealt with. 

Now that the Frost Fest is behind me, another project remains to be completed, that being the sale of tickets on my quilt donated as a fundraiser for my local Lions Club charity, GUIDE DOGS CANADA.  All proceeds raised from the sale of these raffle tickets will go directly to Guide Dogs Canada without one penny being diverted for any other cause. 


My online quilt group wanted to do a round robin quilt project and this is how my quilt took life and the journey of this actual quilt began.

In its beginning I had no idea as to how I would display something I was thinking of visually. While living in a province on the east coast of Canada, I wanted to tell people a story in cloth that would describe this womans' love of the region as well as her passion for quilting, and how in my minds eye my  surroundings might look from the inside out! 

This quilt began to live as each individual worked on the rounds and began to assert my description of my story and what the importance of sight meant to me.   Never, could I have imagined how beautiful this vision would become when set out in fabrics.  The world of textiles and its fabric designers provide quilters with endless possibilities of colour and themed patterned prints and especially with this quilt seemed somehow perfect to be sewn together allowing this persons' inner dreaming become a visual reality. 

I would like to describe for you on how the quilt took shape, beginning with the center and working my way outwards to its border.  A huge debt of gratitude go to Mary G., Kim L., Kris B., and Linda B. without them, their skills, expertise and immagination it would never have turned out so well.  

So here pictorially is the tale of A Maritimers Dream. 

This is the center block, its beginning.  From the window against the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds this dreamer looks out across to her neighbour who has a quilt being aired on the fence top. 

  Not only can the neighbours house be seen from the window, but, also the gardens that surround this dreamers' home.  Here in bright vivid colour are flowers in the border surrounding the house.  From there we see the picket fence which depicts a season, one season for each of the four sides which surround the house.  We have spring,  then summer makes its appearance with lush flowers all in their prime after which comes the fall and all its brilliant maple leaf colourations so very rich and vibrant in the advent of the winter to come which is set with white snow, animals and birds that frequent gardens in rural areas.  

Thanks to the designers for the rabbits,

the racoons and nut hatches

and the cardinals in this snowy winter themed fabric.  The last part of the fenced in portion shows of the wonderful red cardinals and other birds of winter. 



  

Then beyond the neighbours property is the forest where trees of all varities grow tall and strong, wild flowers manage to grown amidst the firs, evergreens, maples, ash, elm, oak, and birch with trails worn over time where people make their way towards the sand dunes and the beach. 

Finally the sand dunes make their presence felt, strong and in abundance and waving freely in the winds which drift along the sandy shoreline and into the Bay of Fundy.

This then is my visionary memory of a place somewhere on the shore of the Bay of Fundy where beauty prevails among the rough.

Not the best shot because I simply do not have space enough to properly hang the quilt.  It finished at 67" X 67" square.

IF YOU SEE A MEMBER OF LIONS INTERNATIONAL presiding over a fundraising event, please consider that all monies raised will directly benefit an organization that deal with those who suffer from some form of vision impairment or the total loss of vision.   In addition to those organizations which benefit from the works of those members world wide, disasters such as that which has hit Haiti also benefit, and if you are so inclined, no matter the amount be it pocket change or larger, these donations you give help each and every member of Lions International Clubs to serve those who are in need.

Thank you for visiting.  Again, if your reading this then like me you and I are above ground today and that is a blessing, so have a truly FRIENDTASTIC day.