Friday, April 26, 2013

Vermont Quilt Festival - Von Trapp Family Lodge

Buckeye Tours: Sorry!  This trip was cancelled! 

I received a letter from Buckeye Tours that this trip was cancelled for lack of interest.  I'm disappointed, but there will be others!

Looking for a great tour that includes quilts?  From Tuesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 30, Buckeye Tours out of Cambridge is offering a trip Vermont. 

A highlight of the trip is a two night stay at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.  You will also be spending one day at the Vermont Quilt Festival - Woohoo!  I was there a couple of years ago and have to say it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.  There are lots of vendors and many amazing quilts on display.

In the past, I travelled to with Buckeye Tours and that the tour director and bus driver were top notch. The tour company is also easy to contact since you actually get to speak to a "live" person when you call:  

Barbie enjoying the view at the Trapp Family Lodge - two years ago

Here is the website for the Trapp Family Lodge.  In case you are not familiar with this Lodge, it is "Situated on 2,500 acres in beautiful Stowe, Vermont, the Trapp Family Lodge is a mountain resort in the European tradition by the Von Trapp family that inspired “The Sound of Music."  Barbie and I were there a couple of years ago.  

View from our room at the Trapp Family Lodge - two years ago

The Vermont Quilt Festival

"Grandmother's Fowl Garden" quilt -  Look at all those Hexies!


 I'm shamelessly promoting this tour because 1) we signed up for it, but need more travelers to make it a go.  2) The Trapp Family Lodge and the Vermont Quilt Festival are both exciting destinations.  I really want to visit them again!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Atwood Lodge Quilt Retreat with Sew Deja vu

Arriving at Atwood Lake

A short one hour drive from Kent is the lovely Atwood Lake and Resort where I spent the weekend at a fabulous quilt retreat put on by our local quilt shop in Stow, Sew Deja vu.  Thank you, ladies from the vu, for picking out such a lovely place to sew, eat, sew, relax and sew some more.   My little red car found the way with a little help from our GPS.  Barbie, my friend since forever, was right behind me.  

This is a rather long post with lots of pictures;  if you are new to reading blogs, click on any picture to enlarge the photo.  Enjoy!


Room with the vu

We had the ballroom with the best view and we were with the vu.  How great is that!

Morning of the first day

By afternoon, the room is full of sewing machines and colourful fabric.  Let the fun begin!

Make new friends,  QBee's . . . 

























Keep the Old Friends, QBees . . . 

Retreat Projects:

Barbie's Strip Quilt




Fabric from Australia
Australian Design


Ben Ten Quilt - Every Quilt has a Story

Ben Ten Backing

Sister Charlotte

Our retreat would not have been complete without the added humour and blessings from Sister Charlotte.  Her quilt became a coat of many colours and we all requested the pattern!

Happy Endings:

I am so thankful to Sew Deja vu for the time and energy spent to make this retreat the very best!  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet new friends while we expand our art of quilting.   
"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~ Ashley Smith