A Busy Day with the Village Quilters

The power came back on during the night. That was a good thing. I had been somewhat concerned about how I could make myself presentable for my lecture on Friday morning if there was no electricity.

But there was, and I was clean and ready right on time for Ann to get behind the wheel again. By 9.30 the room was full and after a little business it was my turn behind the podium.

I like to take a couple of pictures before I start. Looking left…

and to the right…
We had a good time with the quilts from my Language of Flowers lecture. The give-away was not without a little controversy but I always go with a Price Is Right rule… nearest without going over, and we actually had one lady at guild on her wedding anniversary so there was no issue with that question!

Can you believe I call this work?

Then it was back to business. Future classes,and Show and Tell.There wasn’t very long to relax after the morning meeting and we were back to the classroom for a full plus a few Wool Appliqué class.Lots of careful cutting and stitching on this table!
Three hours makes for a very busy class and the time whizzed by.

Now it was time to relax. After a quick stop over at Ann’s home we set off for the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend for some Bluegrass music from the Early Morning String Dusters. The storm clouds had rolled in again and we actually turned around at one point before getting a text that said the concert was going ahead…

It was standing room only inside. One of the members of the band was at High School with Ann’s husband. They were very entertaining and lots of fun to watch and listen to. At the break we went out to explore. The band was supposed to be playing in the amphitheater but between the lightning and torrential rain it would not have been a good place to be…We had heard from a representative from the museum at the guild meeting in the morning about a special exhibit of quilts from the Walker sisters through October and we were delighted to hear that we could get a look at them that evening.

From the Center website,

“… quilts lovingly handcrafted by the Walker sisters, that have never before been on public display. These quilts serve as a shining example of the sisters’ commitment to the traditions of their family, their ancestors and the land on which they lived.

The Walker Sisters grew to fame when they steadfastly refused to leave their family’s homestead as the Parks Commission was working to purchase land that would later become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It took some time, but eventually the sisters did agree to a sale that included their rights to a lifetime lease of their home place.”

They sound like strong women!

There were six quilts on display, all in really good condition considering they were made for use.

Here are pictures of three of them.

One,
two,and three. I know this one’s a Double Irish Chain.

I had a quick look to see if I could find the names of those top two blocks. I’m sure someone can tell us? I might be making a new quilt inspired by at least one of these as soon as I get a minute…

I bought some books from the museum shop so I can continue my education. The stories of the early settlers do fascinate me. I continue to be very glad that I came to the USA after the days of the log cabin and no running water.

We emerged from the second half of the concert to clearing skies and the end of what must have been a beautiful sunset over the mountains.
I love the reflections in the puddles!

No power cuts and just one more morning to enjoy in Tennessee.

And in case you were wondering… Congratulations to Sandra in Montana who won our holiday weekend giveaway. She has her threads and sampler and is ready to start stitching. Thanks everyone who left a comment. It’s not that hard is it? Keep them coming. It is nice to know that someone is reading my blog.