Folk School, Part 2

Waking early when at John C. Campbell Folk School is no hardship. The views are beautiful, lots of people walk in the morning, and afterward a substantial breakfast plus an ocean of tea and coffee to set you up right for a hard day of quilting. There were even a few breaks in the week that didn't involve quilting.



A stroll through the herb garden was a nice field trip. A few raspberries were left on the vines.

In the middle of the week, an enthusiastic duo of border collies, Suki and Bess, came to the east lawn and gave an energetic demonstration of sheep herding. Suki (seen here) was the more experienced dog and started the show.

Bess finally got off the leash and ran so fast she was a blur! The sheep were still unimpressed.

And of course the week wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Brasstown Store. I got my T-shirt and apron, both emblazoned with 'Possum-the other OTHER white meat.' The apron, by the way, glows in the dark!

My friend Penny Prichard came with a project already in mind. The 'plaid' theme was merely coincidental as she dumped large bags of flannel plaid shirts out when asked about her fabrics. Her mission: make a memory quilt for her friend Elaine. Bob--Elaine's husband and Penny's friend--had suddenly passed away--these were his favorite shirts and Penny was determined to make the quilt in a week.

I was dubious. A large quilt in a week? Sewing with springy well-worn flannels from old shirts? I should have known better. Not only did Penny finish the quilt top as planned but we found that at the Show-and-Share session last day of Scottish week, non-quilters reverently touched her quilt and were quite affected by the sentiment of making a quilt from a loved one's clothing.

Penny sent this picture of Elaine when she got the quilt. Boy, is this one a winner!

                                                                    Marla Baden went full-steam ahead with her star wall hanging. She's going on to applique vines and flowers on two sides of the quilt. When she sends another picture I'll share it.

Betty Belanger made a wall hanging using rather unfamiliar colors but grew to like her piece. We loved it.

      Susan McLaughlin from New York scored with her bull's eye quilt in shades of tan, gold,and purple.

On the long ride home, Penny and I talked about the experience. Yep, I'd do it again in a minute. At Tara-on-the-Tracks, I took a picture of the beautiful window in Penny's dining room. The builder of her 1912 house, a wealthy cotton broker, had commissioned this window to commemorate his livelihood. It's four cotton blossoms.

Then south of Kinston, I stopped at a roadside produce stand and turned around to see a flowering cotton field. We quilters work with cotton fabric all the time but rarely consider where it comes from. Cotton in North Carolina is in high bloom in early September and only weeks away from harvesting.