Catch Up To CQA/ACC

It's catch up time!   We took a little hiatus when the Olympics were on.  First it was the amazing colours of their patchwork quilt, then Canada was brought to its feet over and over in skiing, curling and of course hockey.

Now it is time to snuggle in for the rest of winter and quilt away.

First up is our largest fundraiser - the Trend-Tex Challenge!   We sold out of kits this year!   Thank you to everyone that purchased a kit.   That was the first step, now comes the fun, creative step - turning those 5 luscious fat quarters into a fantastic wearable/quilt under the theme 'Modern Ways'.  They are due March 22nd.

Our Youth Challenge closes at the end of this month.  It only takes a few hours to work with any youth to produce a small quilt to enter.

Our new member challenge 'Winter Wonders' is due March 25th, and did you see the prizes donated by Fabric Spot?  They are simply out of this world.

We are still Walking to Brock, or as Laine says, 'we may need to start running' so gals, get collecting those inches to get us there.  We still have 3 provinces to cross and time is ticking.  We need your inches, our deadline is June 11th!

Are you signed up for Quilt Canada 2014?   Now is the time!  The workshops are amazing with so much talent in all the instructors and so much creativity is going to flow out of them.   And the shows - the NJS, the Invitational, and the Trend-Tex, you simply must attend.

Let's go Canadian quilters, let's open up those sewing machines to full throttle and get 'er done!

Walk To Brock Update #5

Fort McMurray! How many of you have been here?

In 2011 Fort McMurray had a population of 61,374; a year later it was 72,944; and current estimates say 133,000 by 2028. In this boomtown, housing prices and rents are far higher than one would expect in such a remote area.

The chilly temperatures open the door to wonderful winter activities for the whole family, indoors and outdoors! Fishing, hunting, camping, hiking,  sledding, tubing, skiing, snowboarding, hockey, curling, swimming and exploring....the list goes on and the adventures are endless!

A visit to the Northern Lights Quilt Guild (a member guild) website provides a recipe for home made hand cream to soothe our dry hands - from the 1999 Spring issue of 'The Canadian Quilter'!

Thinking about continuing our Walk, I found that flights are booked to capacity because of the high transient worker population and people unwilling to drive on Highway 63 which goes to Edmonton. We are waitlisted for a flight.

Here is something fun one guild is doing. Victoria Quilters Guild has a concurrent Walk to Brock challenge: The quilter who guesses most closely the total number of inches the guild will amass by the end of March 2014, receives a  prize donated by Daphne Grieg.   Now that sounds like a fun competition, and knowing Daphne, a terrific prize!

Below is the map as to where we are at.  Not to scare anyone, but we still have to cross 3 provinces to get to Brock!   We may need to extend the deadline or start running to Brock to get there in time for Quilt Canada 2014.

Quilters, pull out those UFO's, get to the quilt store and buy fabric for a new quilt... we have to get quilting to get those inches. Go! Go! Go!